Last Thursday, the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team extended their record to 4-5 following a pair of tough losses on the road against Magruder and Gaithersburg.

   “This was something that we needed as a team,” senior and team captain Camilla Galeano said after a 3-1 victory against Blair high school. “We’re full of talent and it’s great seeing the outcomes we’re getting, even after the rough matches we’ve had.”

Galeano, who recorded 17 assists against Blair, briefly highlighted the team’s improvement in not skill, but at working together as a team over the last month.

   “I would say that [our team chemistry] has improved so much compared to the beginning of the season. We’re also now playing to our strengths [during] our games, regardless of who we are playing,” Galeano explained.

   On the topic of capitalizing off of players’ strengths, sophomore Elana Brooks and freshman Simone Thomas combined for 11 touches and five blocks, two of which were solo blocks.

   “Defense at the net is so important. We wouldn’t be able to play our best background defense if our blockers don’t create a path for the other team’s hitters,” Galeano elaborated when asked about the importance of the team’s front row defense.

   The team’s defense at the net definitely assisted the background defenders, as juniors Ashley Genau and Olivia Craca provided the team with a ton of calculated passes and a couple of great saves from the back row. It was even argued by Galeano that it was their defensive reads and their hustle that contributed the most to their success.

   “I [feel] like we hustled for every ball, not letting the other team have easy shots… which gave us the win tonight,” Galeano said.

   The Hornets take on Rockville High School live in The Hive on Weds., Oct. 12. JV’s game is at 5:30 and Varsity’s at 6:30. Galeano and the rest of The Hornets have plenty of confidence and momentum heading into Wednesday’s match.